why are there pharmacists?

[draggoon01]

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could someone explain this. why don't doctors (especially primary care doctors) just dispense the drugs themselves. that would save on lots of calls and double checking.

only thing that comes to mind is getting a drug while out of town. but just like you visit other pharmacies, you could stop by a different doctor's office to fill prescription, or hospital to get during off hours.

 

[Megalofyia]

Doctors would have to rent really large office spaces to be able to store all these drugs they would be dispensing. Pharmacists also assist doctors in prescribing medications because that is all they deal with ... the medication. I know quite a few doctors who call up their local pharmacist to ask for advice on a medication, to check up on side effects of a medication or ask about drug interactions.

 

[Big Lebowski]

Have you ever seen the lines at some of these pharmacies...and I'm talking outside the hospital and clinic. Now add those people to the back of the line of those at the clinic pharmacy. Trust me, dispencing drugs is a full-time job.

 

[LukeWhite]

Doctors also can't possibly keep track of all the various incompatibilities between drugs...having a pharmacist dispense provides a useful double-check so that a patient with complicated treatment doesn't get a deadly cocktail.

 

[Bonds756]

Doctors are already overworked, and that would be basically adding another full time job to their daily. And while I am learning a lot from the few months that we take Pharm in mec school, it won't cut it to truly learn all we would need to. That is why they have a four year program. They definitely do help out doctors and will be useful to you in the future.

 

[Cameron]

I'm currently working with an IM physician who has 2 PharmD's on staff -- he VERY frequently will ask for their opinion on pharm. issues. He has no problem admitting that they know a LOT more about many drugs than he does.
They play a very helpful role and I don't think they're used as much as they could be in primary care settings.